A new study finds that nearly 80% of beauty products marketed to Black women contain ingredients linked to an increased risk of breast and uterine cancer.
Research from the Environmental Working Group examined over 4,000 products, including makeup, shampoo, hair relaxers, and dyes, revealing that 74% carry moderate to high health hazard risks that can cause cancer. Products marketed to Black women with phrases like “for use on melanated skin” were found to contain high concentrations of hazardous chemicals,” one scientist said.
“When those products have that marketing language, 80% of them scored moderate to high hazard in our database,” said the Environmental Working Group’s Alexa Friedman, who co-authored the study.
“When we look at products without that demographic marketing, we still see that 74% of those products score moderate to high hazard. But that difference of six percentage points, you know, is something that should be considered.”
The group’s free Skin Deep database rates products on a scale from 1 to 10 based on ingredient and product safety, with 1 being the safest and 10 the most hazardous.
Hair relaxers remained among the most hazardous product categories, but “one good thing that we did see in between our 2016 and our 2025 report is that the average rating for hair relaxers went from an 8, which would be a high hazard in our database, to a 5, which is a moderate hazard,” Friedman said.She notes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) limited oversight in extending its authority in regulating cosmetic products and their ingredients. Unlike drugs, personal care products such as cosmetics and shampoos are not
required to prove their safety before hitting the market. As a result, the 2022 Modernization of Cosmetics Act (MoCA) updated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, mandating improved labeling and disclosure of certain allergens.“That gives a little bit more power to the FDA to substantiate the safety of personal care products,” Friedman said. “But it still overall falls short.”
The report offers solutions for safer alternatives and resources to help individuals reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals and cancer—not just in personal care products but also in drinking water and household cleaning products.
“We are not trying to dictate what someone should or shouldn’t use,” Friedman said. “The goal of this report is to empower consumers to make decisions and find safer alternatives where they would like.”
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